A big thankyou to Lisa, Jenelle and Cindy for coming with me to spend this lovely day stitching together. We enjoyed a lovely lunch, morning & afternoon tea together too. Gail, Leanne & Natalie went around to all the tables and said hello to us all and shared some stitching tips and techniques too.

We also received three lovely new patterns - one from each designer (plus all the fabrics to finish them too) and three postcard designs too. The three designers had setup displays of their designs on tables and had quilts all around the room - which were just wonderful to see. There was also Craft Haven of Berwick there so we could stock up on patterns, books, fabrics and threads too.

(Please excuse the quality of the photos - I forgot my camera and so had to use my phone!)

﻿

A great day that just seemed to go so fast! Can't wait for the next one!
Happy Sewing!
Jody

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Well I didn't get as much done as I would have liked last night - but I definitely made some progress.

I have had the stitchery finished for a while for this clutch purse - and so last night I managed to get the closure flap of the purse completed and get all the other material cut out and the main piece quilted. This is a Melly & Me design called 'Out with the Girls'. I'm going to try and finish it off over the weekend - so fingers crossed and I might be able to post a completed picture early next week. Pop over and see what everyone else got up to for their Friday Night Sew In.
Happy Sewing!
Jody

Friday, July 19, 2013

I love these Friday Night Sew In's! It gives me that little bit of motivation I need to get out one of my unfinished projects and work on it.

So tonight I'm joining in again with many others from all around the world for a virtual sew in! Pop back over the weekend to see how much I ended up getting done. Feel free to join in too - just click on this link Here and sign up. 'See' you there!
Happy Sewing!
Jody

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Well - a lot has been happening around here the last few weeks! Over the school holidays I held two sewing classes at my lovely local patchwork shop - Riviera Patchwork. It was a school holiday activity for kids and they made an iPod/phone cover in the first class and an iPad Cover in the second class the following week.

We had a great class of 6 girls - ranging in age from 8 to 12 years old. Only a couple of them had used a sewing machine before - but they all took to it really well and successfully completed their projects on the day. They all seemed to really enjoy the class and enjoyed being able to make something useful for themselves (or for family/friends). I'm hoping to run this class again next school holidays plus I will probably come up with a different project so that these girls can come back and do another class too. I really enjoyed teaching this class and loved seeing them all ironing, cutting, pinning and sewing confidently on the sewing machines and finish their projects. It was great!

Both the projects I have designed myself and I have written instructions aimed at the beginner - so they have plenty of photos to help along the way. You can pick up a copy of both the patterns (and some we have kitted too) at Riviera Patchwork. We have kept the cost down as they are a simple beginner patterns too.
I have also just opened my own Etsy store! This is something I have wanted to do for a long time. I have listed the iPod/Phone Cover on my Etsy store as an instant downloadable pattern. Here's a picture from the pattern cover. The cover uses Velcro to close the pouch and keep your iPod or phone secure and there is a pocket at the back for your headphones. There is a link to my Etsy store on the right hand side of my blog.

At this stage I have not put the iPad cover on Etsy - as the pattern template is drawn on A3 size paper. But it is something I may change so that it can be printed onto A4 later on down the track.
I also plan to add some more patterns to my Etsy store soon - so keep an eye out!
Happy Sewing everyone!
Jody

Sunday, July 14, 2013

This is the cat I made from the 'Stuffed Animals' book by Abigail Glassenberg. I think she turned out quite sweet. I made her completely from faux fur fabric - which is something I haven't used much before - certainly not for a complete softie. Abby gives us lots of tips about using faux fur in this book so this definitely helped me. This pattern also used an underbody gusset piece and a head gusset to give it it's shape and Abby has lessons about this in the book too. ﻿

My cat was quite curious about this cat I had made and so came over to check her out while I was taking photos. I don't think she knew quite what to make of it - was it real or not? ﻿

Abby has also included lessons in the book about designing a muzzle and making a sitting animal - like this cat. She also talks about using safety eyes (which I used on the cat) and also using eyes with looped backs too. All very helpful.

As you can probably tell I am really getting a lot out of this book and love trying out the techniques that Abby teaches us in each lesson. The cat really didn't take that long to make at all and although I was unfamiliar with using the faux fur I got the hang of it and now feel confident using it. Thanks Abby for making this wonderful book and teaching us all these tips and techniques.

Saturday, July 6, 2013

I've just finished this monster from Abigail Glassenberg's book - Stuffed Animals. It's quite a cool looking monster I think - and my son helped choose the fabrics for him. This is the third project I have made from this book and I loved using the faux fur and fleece fabrics on him. This project also shows you how to use reverse applique and raw edge applique techniques too.

Learning lots and having heaps of fun making these projects. Now to start the next one - can't wait!
Happy Sewing!
Jody